Anita Clifford, 79

Anita N. Clifford, a longtime resident of Wainscott who had been chairwoman of the Georgica Association’s beach committee, died in Essex, Conn., on May 19 after a long period of declining health. She was 79.
Born Anita Dunlap Nichols to J. Brooks Nichols and Anita Bradshaw Nichols, Mrs. Clifford was raised in Morristown, N.J. She attended the Peck School and graduated from the Gill School in Bernardsville, N.J.
She married Henry Clifford in 1953, and became a homemaker, raising two sons, Henry Clifford III, now of San Diego, and Peter Clifford of Bronxville, N.Y. The family lived in New Vernon, N.J., and Darien, Conn., before settling in Wainscott. The couple moved to Essex in 2010.
Mrs. Clifford, known to friends as Niki, was an enthusiastic gardener and a member of the East Hampton Garden Club. She liked going to the beach and was concerned about its protection, Mr. Clifford said on Wednesday, noting that she was chairwoman of the Georgica Association’s beach committee for some years. She also volunteered for local organizations, including the East Hampton Day Care Center, which she particularly enjoyed.
Besides her husband and sons, Mrs. Clifford is survived by two brothers, Jesse Nichols and John Hopkins, a sister, Susan Hopkins, and seven grandchildren.
A memorial gathering will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Somerset Hills Country Club in Connecticut following a burial service for family members.
It was suggested that memorial donations in Mrs. Clifford’s name go to WARM, marked for Anita’s Kitchen, 56 Spruce Street, Westerly, R.I. 02891.